“Effective on-line applications” Careers Advisory Service

Application forms 94% of leading graduate recruiters only use on-line applications Employers assess against specific criteria including: Your academic results Your work experience Your self-awareness Your motivation

Making effective applications Employers are looking for skills evidence not opinion present evidence of the skills you have which match their requirements. Sell yourself! use different areas of your life in your answers make clear what your individual role or contribution was It’s vital that you answer the question Don’t rush your on-line applications Keep copies of all your forms

Making effective applications - preparation Read the employer’s recruitment literature/website: What skills are they looking for? What have you got to offer? Why do you want to work there? You may only be allowed a few words to explain why you are suited to the job Draft your response and seek feedback.

Completing the application form Read the questions carefully and follow the instructions Pay attention to the sub-questions Tailor your responses to the employer Pay attention to word count limits Plan your answers, and use a variety of examples from different areas of your life – range and currency! NEVER use a chatty style - application is a FORMAL process

Application form – basis details Personal Details Qualifications Work Experience

Application form - questions Competency based questions Business awareness questions Career related questions

Competency based questions Questions that ask you to describe your past performance in relation to a specific scenario Used to judge how competent you will be in a job, employers need to see exactly how you have performed in a similar way in the past. The competencies that employers look for vary but might focus on skills such as teamwork, problem solving, communication and judgement.

Competency questions S - Scenario Briefly describe the situation where you demonstrated the competence which the question is asking you to demonstrate T - Task What was your specific task A - Action What did you do and how did you do it? R - Result What was the outcome? What were the reasons for your success & any learning points

From your personal, work or academic experience, please give an example of a challenge that you have set yourself and describe how you have gone about achieving it? My academic career from secondary school onwards is something that I feel has been an ongoing challenge for me, which I have always worked hard at to meet. I have always aimed high and always worked to the best of my ability, something that I am particularly proud of. I am proud of my achievements academically and believe these to be the result of hard work, determination and play. I continue to set myself challenges in all areas of my academic work and I continue to aim high.

From your personal, work or academic experience, please give an example of a challenge that you have set yourself and describe how you have gone about achieving it? One of my ambitions in life has always been to see the Great Barrier Reef, so during my year out, after saving for six months, I travelled alone to Australia. After listening to reports from others, I decided the best way to see it was to do a scuba diving course on the reef. This was, to me, a clear challenge as I have always been a very weak swimmer. I therefore set myself the target of achieving my aim by my birthday, which gave me five months to improve my skills. I took every opportunity to swim, especially in the sea which was something I had never done. My strength, fitness and confidence all increased sufficiently to pass the minimum standards required before starting a course, and I qualified on the reef on my birthday.

Exercise: Describe your role in a team situation. How did you contribute to the effectiveness of the team and what was the outcome? Try answering this question in 150 words. You have 5 minutes to at least begin your answer.

Describe your role in a team situation. How did you contribute to the effectiveness of the team and what was the outcome ? Very briefly set the scenario Describe your individual role What skills did you demonstrate Consequences of your actions Interactions with others in your group i.e. leader or facilitator? What were the outcomes for the whole team?

What has been the hardest decision you have had to make? What factors did you take into consideration? Clear analysis of the problem Weighing up the pros & cons Facts - budgets, deadlines, targets, time scales Consequences & repercussions Contingency plan Innovative examples

Business awareness questions Might be about industry sector or the specific employer This could be in the form a mini case study or a series of multiple choice questions Some research required to answer these questions e.g. company websites, trade journals, annual reports

What attracts you to the post you are applying for and especially to …? Self-reflection – opportunity to sell your self Good understanding of work area and company Contribution to the aims of the business Clear indication of why you want to work in this field and in this job “Research on the web site and knowledge of who we are goes a long way to convincing us.” Career motivation

Please use this space to give us any extra information to support your application. How should you use this space?

The practicalities Print out and proof read carefully. Check and double check grammar and spelling. Don’t leave any empty boxes - at least put “not applicable” or “N/A”. Keep a copy of the form to help you prepare for the interview. It’s better to do a few good applications than many standard ones.

Summary Researching into jobs/employers – Prospects & JobsLive, job sector information and brochures Practise filling in some application forms on-line, Examples of how to answer tough questions at: Reference books in careers information room,

Further sources of information AGCAS Information Booklets, e.g. “Making Applications” Careers handouts, e.g. “Applications” AGCAS Videos, e.g. “Looking Good on Paper” and “Your Job’s On-line” - official HE careers website for Occupational & Employer Information - Making effective applications, JobsLive, EventsLive, Psychometric Test practice and much more….